Emunah Canada Blog

by Liora MinkaThe recent case appears to be a first of its kind: The Chief Rabbi of Israel, in his role as president of the High Rabbinical Court, is attempting to bring about the revoking of a get issued three years ago based on on halakhic prescriptions. In simple and painful words: A state-sanctioned court might turn back the wheels of time against their natural course, and thus be partner to a disturbing tragedy in which a divorced woman will suddenly resume her status as a married woman or aguna, without her having done a thing. Simply unbelievable. At this stage, at least, the intervention of the Supreme Court, an opinion given by the Attorney General, and public pressure have had an impact; the planned action has been temporarily put on hold and this shameful course of affairs has ground to a halt. Some facts are in order: A man was...

With the rise of divorce in the Jewish world, and in the Beit Shemesh community as well, there has also been a rise in second marriages, or, as known in Hebrew, Perek Bet. Blended families can be families created by widows or widowers marrying each other. They can also be formed by people who have been through a divorce, as well as combinations of both. One spouse may never have been married. Very often we have families where children on both sides are involved. Sometimes the newly formed couple will also have their own children. In all the different scenarios, there are many challenges that have to be met. The new couple is focusing on their new relationship. If the spouses have been through a divorce, they can be entering the marriage with some trauma. In addition, they may have been through abuse which has its own range of feelings and...

Hava Levine When I was 14 years old I asked my mother if I could buy a new blouse to wear at a girlfriend's party. Times were hard and I was given a few dollars. I went to so many stores before I saw the blouse in the sale of sales corner. I learned a new word- IRREGULAR. The blouse was gorgeous and different. I asked the salesgirl what is wrong- how come it is so cheap. She said-don't ask what is wrong-ask me what is right. Look at the beautiful colors, the gorgeous buttons, the cut of the sleeves. Grab it. I still insisted-so what is wrong? And she said-look the sleeves are not the same length, the buttons are too far apart and two are missing, the color scheme has faded here and there  - otherwise it is perfect. Look at the big picture. You do not know how...

Hebrew Culture of Canada Kronitz Memorial Scholarship For Post-Secondary Study in Israelunder the auspices of the Canadian Zionist Federation The Canadian Zionist Federation and the Hebrew Culture of Canada are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Kronitz Memorial Scholarship for Study in Israel. This scholarship program was created to assist young Canadian Jews to study in Israel, and to return to serve their local Jewish community. The scholarship is for the benefit of students who are accepted to study in Israel for at least one year in a post- secondary education program. Scholarships are awarded based on recommendations from current school officials and financial need. Deadline for applications is May 31, 2016  To receive an application or for more information please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by: Liora Minka, Chairman of Israel EmunahI didn't know Dafna Meir personally the woman brutally murdered in front of her children on Sunday. I heard the tremendous pain and loss in the words of her friends who eulogized her at her funeral, speaking of her strong personality. A leader takes responsibility and helps women and their families. I hear the prayer that she herself wrote and said before assisting her patients as a nurse, a prayer requesting the ability to help her people but also to be able to help other peoples, and the heart refuses to accept this terrible loss. I read about her four biological children and two foster children, that Dafna insisted should be nurtured from love and from her memories of her life as a child who did not have the support of family. The media spoke about her difficult family background from which sprang the...

This past weekend a group of young women from Canada, who are spending a year in Israel spent a shabbat at Neve Michael.  Their follow up emails clearly illustrate what an impact Neve Michael on people who visit and experience this special place for themselves. If you are planning a trip to Israel take the time to visit this amazing place. Contact us today. ---- Thanks so much for organizing the shabbaton! We all had the best time! Also, would I be able to help you with anything that has to do with this in Toronto? I'm really interested, it was an amazing shabbos! Hilla Sheinberg ----- I had an amazing time this shabbos at Neve Michael. I'm really so happy that I had the opportunity to come. I was put in Oranit's group, and her bat sheirut was Sapir. At first coming to Neve Michael I was really surprised at the...

Osnat Eshel, 36,  graduated in 2002 from the Emunah Appleman College. She recently  won first place in a public competition held by the Bank of Israel to design the new shekel bill series for the State of Israel.  More than 100 designs were submitted for the competition. This new series, called the poets series, includes four bills of different denominations and colors bearing the likenesses of Shaul Tchernichovsky, Natan Alterman, Rahel the poetess and Leah Goldberg. The first bills are already out. “The principles that went into designing the bills come out of the graphic arts tools and artistic knowledge that I acquired during my studies,” says Eshel, who also designs posters, medals, stamps, symbols, logos and user interfaces. “But knowledge and mastery of graphic techniques alone is not enough to produce good designers. They are means and tools to realize ideas just like a paintbrush and a pencil. The uniqueness of the...

At Talia’s house violence was the norm. Her father had a vicious temper and she regularly saw her mother being assaulted. Talia wanted to protect her mother but was too scared to speak up, so she lived in fear. Sadly, life doesn’t always run smoothly for superheroes. One night her father returned home drunk and attacked Talia’s mother so violently that she was hospitalised due to her injuries. Social Services stepped in and one year ago, Talia went to live at Emunah’s Sarah Herzog Children’s Centre as an emergency placement. Staff found her quiet and withdrawn and she didn’t mix with the other children. Emunah’s professional and caring staff turned to music therapy to unlock Talia’s unhappiness. When the therapist played Talia a Russian folk song, she immediately responded, tears streaming down her face. With patient support, Talia’s complex feelings for her mother and her anger at her father poured out...

Yesterday morning Emunah had the opportunity to host the philanthropist and entrepreneur Harold Grinspoon, founder and funder of PJ Library/ Sifriyat Pijama. Harold and the Grinspoon Foundation, have once again made Jewish children, from all over the world have, "people of the book". They have partnered with Emunah in bringing this marvelous initiative the children in our day care centers. In this initial phase, the program will be geared towards 2-3 year olds. Now, thanks to Sifriyat Pijama and Emunah, children will have beautiful original books at home and many will enjoy the bonding and stimulating experience of being read for the time,. Two more fun facts... The books are printed in Israel, supporting local industry, and have been laminated using special technology, making them both light and "slobber proof". While meeting with Liora Minka, Maya Vazana, director of Early Childhood Education and Shlomo Kessel at Beit Emunah, Harold Grinspoon expressed...

Every year during Chanukah, there is a big party held at Bet Elazraki which includes all of the children. This celebration is for the graduates, their spouses and kids. Yehuda and Riki Kohn give out a presents to every single one of their "grandchildren". It is a beautiful custom. It is the epitome of what the holiday of Chanukah is about for all of us at EMUNAH. Chanukah symbolizes hope , success and renewal. The very fact that the graduates of our homes can get married, support families and create loving, healthy homes of their own - means that there is hope for the future. Emunah and all the wonderful people who work there have been successful in breaking the cycle of violence by creating and renewing a strong family life where children are raised in healthy and happy homes by their parents.חג אורות שמח לכל עם ישראל!

 As many of the members of the World Emunah Delegation to the 37th Zionist Congress were actually Chairmen and Presidents of World Emunah Affiliates it was decided to hold Leadership meetings after congress. Notwithstanding numerous terrorist attacks, leaders from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland and Israel met in Jerusalem for two days of intense discussions. During the course of the meetings World Emunah Chairperson Dina Hahn presented Leah Aharonov with a beautiful paper cut as a small token of her dedication to Emunah. Leah will be retiring at the end of 2015 and will be very much missed. The group enjoyed a wonderful evening as the guests of Emunah Israel Chairperson Liora Minka and CEO David Hadari at the new Emunah offices in Tel Aviv. It was agreed that the next World Emunah convention will be held either at the end of 2016 or the very beginning of 2017.

In the spring of 2012, EMUNAH CANADA hosted their annual ‘Family in Israel Dinner’ honouring , Faygie and Phil Schwartz. The dinner was an outstanding success, there was a wonderful turnout as the community came to pay tribute to the Schwartz’s; esteemed pillars of the Toronto Jewish Community. The proceeds of the dinner culminated in the creation of the ‘Faygie and Phil Schwartz Wing’ in the newly refurbished Safra building at the EMUNAH's Neve Michael Children’s Village, in Pardes Chana. The dedication ceremony was held recently. A large group came to visit Neve Michael and show there support of Phil & Faygie Schwartz. The group toured the new building, people were visibly impressed by the renovations and the attention to detail that went into creating the Faygie and Phil Schwartz Wing. This was evident from the beautiful décor, the impeccable design of the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. All of course was...

Nina Samson who recently turned 12 decided to share part of her Bat Mitzvah celebrations with the children at Neve Michael. The family were warmly greeted at the gates of Neve Michael and escorted to Moriah's Mishpachton. There Nina and her siblings spent time with the children, handed out napsacks to all the Bat Mitzvah girls, and joined them in doing hafrashat challah.  Neve Michael had prepared a personalized Bat Mitzvah cake for Nina and the children from the family unit enjoyed hosting Nina and her family.  For more information regarding the Bar Bat Mitzvah twinning program, click here.

As the majority of Emunah’s Neve Michael children go home for the month of August, an intimate and meaningful Bat Mitzvah Celebration was held for Nediva Aspler and Kiki (Kyra) Witt, of Montreal. Also joining in the festivities was Mrs. Dorothy Cohen of Toronto, who came with her two granddaughters from New Jersey.Before the activities began, the Aspler, Witt, and Cohen families, were imparted with an in depth explanation of the crucial role Emunah’s Neve Michael plays in giving some Israeli children the stable and loving environment which their own families are unable to provide. Both Hava Levene and Rachel Bargad had the opportunity to answer the many interesting questions posed by the group, focusing on bright and inquisitive queries of the families’ children. This was a very advantageous and fruitful discussion, giving great insight to the Canadian visitors, especially the children, as to the numerous hardships many of their Israeli...

As is true every year at this time, students across the world are taking exams and contemplating their future as they finish their school career and look ahead.  This year tens of dozens of Emunah students followed in the same vain.  Completing their high school studies, our students venture out into the world preparing for army, national service, college, further education, Midrashot or Yeshivot.  It’s a time for stock taking.  What has been achieved in the last several years.  What lessons have been learned, what challenges have been addressed, and what achievements have been attained. This year, many of our high school girls have been accepted into prestigious national service positions, and high ranking army units.  We have never underestimated the abilities of our children, and continue to have faith in them as they move to the next chapter in their lives.  We are so proud of ….Shlomit (name changed)  from the Marilyn...

Members of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel mark the holiday of Sigd in Jerusalem November 20, 2014. (photo credit:REUTERS/AMIR COHEN) Statistics clearly show that most Ethiopian Israelis still live in poor conditions in development-town enclaves and distressed areas. In Martin Luther King’s historic 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech he said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Israeli society has been blessed with incredible people who belong to a variety of different communities, and in general the absorption process has been a great success. However, the shameful and inexcusable assault against an Ethiopian Israeli IDF soldier by police officers that was recently made public reveals only the tip of the iceberg of the socialization issues that many members of the Ethiopian...

Every year, Emunah holds a scholarship ceremony. This year’s Ceremony, the planning committee felt it would be a nice change of pace to bring the event to Emunah’s Neve Sarah Herzog Girls’ High School in B’nei B’rak. A sizable group of women, including students from Emunah’s Michlala and Ulpana, traveled together by hired coach from Jerusalem, to partake in the Ceremony.Despite the weather, there was a wonderful turnout for the ceremony which was represented by long time Emunah members as well as key staff members from other Emunah Projects. Upon arrival to the school’s auditorium, the guests were greeted by music and refreshments as they waited for the ceremony to get underway.The ceremony commenced with a brief overview of the program by Chairwomen of the Scholarship Fund, Mrs. Hannah Melamed. Functioning as Matron of Ceremonies for the event, she introduced the first speaker, Chana Tessler.Chana Tessler is the new Director and...

World Emunah recently had the special privilege of accompanying a group of Canadians, on a mission with one of the largest orthodox shuls in Canada, BAYT (Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto).As the bus made its way down to Ashkelon, the tour guide made note of the many points of interest and rich history throughout the Judean Hills.  Upon arrival at Emunah’s Multipurpose Day Care Center in Ashkelon, the group was greeted by the facility’s Director, Shosh Omer.  With her usual ebullient flair, Shosh gave the group a tour of the Center. She explained to the crowd how many of the Day Care Center’s children are there from morning until night, returning to their homes bathed, fed and all ready for bed. The children in her care range from just a few months old to almost four years of age. They are divided up into different rooms, according to age.Shosh explained that many of the children come from...